COLORADO (KOAA) — Colorado Head Start advocates breathed a sigh of relief when the White House released President Trump's discretionary funding level recommendations earlier this month.
The Trump budget proposal appears to have reversed course, preserving the Head Start Early Childhood Program after all.
Earlier leaks indicated it would be eliminated, sounding the alarm nationwide for a program that helps over 800,000 low income and at-risk youth and families receive child care.
But advocates aren't fully celebrating just yet.
"We're absolutely relieved that Head Start is not on the elimination block. However, because it's a skinny budget, we don't know about the amount of cutting that will take place for Head Start," said Heather Frenz, executive director for the Colorado Head Start Association. "So we're also still concerned about that, and some of the programs that are up for elimination severely impact are vulnerable families."
The budget proposal, called the "skinny budget" because it does not include program-level funding proposals, just spending priorities, did not include an elimination for Head Start. But the 60-year-old program's funding could still be reduced.
Other programs Head Start families rely on, however, are proposed for elimination, including the Preschool Development Grant: Birth through 5 Program.
"Consistent with the Administration’s priority to return education to the States, which are best equipped to fund and tailor education programs to the needs of their residents, the Budget eliminates PDG (Preschool Development grants)," said the Trump budget proposal.
The proposal also claimed the PDG program pushed DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) onto toddlers.
That cut alone is still causing concern for early childhood education advocates.
Heather Frenz, Colorado Head Start Association
"Because we do see cuts coming to vulnerable children and families, we're going to have to continue that work and continue advocating on behalf of our children and families."
Frenz said without some of the grants proposed for elimination by the White House, Head Start's work in Colorado helping
children with special health care needs, for example, would be at risk.
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) said Colorado last received funding from the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) in a round that ended on March 31. So for now, their funding is secured for the next year.
The CDEC sent News5 a statement about what impacts the loss of funding could have on their work:
"In the 6 years that Colorado received [this] Funding, it strengthened existing early childhood programs and services while piloting innovative solutions to address gaps in care, including developing the one-stop shop, raising Colorado Kids website for families to access resources, and supporting access to early childhood mental health support."
Congress will ultimately decide which programs will receive funding.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
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